Born in Paris in 1981, eL Seed’s intricate calligraphic compositions call not only on the words and their meaning but also on their movement, which ultimately lures the viewer into a different state of mind.
Working primarily with subjects that seem contradictory, eL Seed’s art reflects the reality of mankind and the world we live in today.
eL Seed installed his work in public spaces, galleries, and institutions on every continent. From the streets of Paris or New York to the Favelas of Rio de Janeiro or the slums of Cape Town, his contemporary approach aims to bring people, cultures, and generations together.
Interestingly, ‘eL Seed’ is a pseudo-name inspired at the age of 16 by ‘Le Cid’ (meaning ‘the Lord’ in medieval Spain), a five-act tragicomedy written by one of the great writers seventeenth-century French dramatists Pierre Corneille in 1636.
Born in Paris in 1981, eL Seed’s intricate calligraphic compositions call not only on the words and their meaning but also on their movement, which ultimately lures the viewer into a different state of mind. Working primarily with subjects that seem contradictory, eL Seed’s art reflects the reality of mankind and the world we live […]
Mohamed Taman spent close to twenty years inventing a technical process that he dubs “Tamanism.” Characterized by layers of colors and materials, Taman forms by hand; the unconventional process involves many petroleum derivatives and oil oxides to create works based on chemical reactions. Using petroleum solvents to agitate the process, heat to provide flexibility, and low temperature to dry, Tamam uses […]
Saad el Din knows that our love can never end and will never end and lures us into a wonderfully sincere and touching world where perfection is no coincidence and mystery is the answer.
Hazem El Mestikawy was born in Cairo, Egypt, in 1965. He currently works and lives in Vienna, Austria. His installation, Nine A Letters, was acquired by the North Carolina Museum of Art. In 2011, El Mestikawy was a runner-up to the prestigious Jameel Art Prize, launched by the Victoria and Albert Museum in London for […]
If you look at a drawing, which is that silent poetry, you will find the truth marked for you. Sheikh Mohammed Abduh (March 18, 1904) As we reflect on the fifth anniversary of a defining moment in our history, Cairo-based surrealist painter Yasser Rostom sheds light on different aspects of the current geopolitical events. Featuring […]
Born in 1978, Mahmoud El Dewihi hails from the magical town of Aswan in Upper Egypt. Aswan is, in fact, one of the world’s most prominent ancient quarry landscapes globally, and El Dewihi sources part of his material from there – namely granite, echoing his predecessor Mahmoud Mokhtar, Egypt’s father of modern sculpture. At the […]
Tahia Halim (1919-2003) was born in Donkola, Sudan, where her father was posted through his professional engagement with the Palace. Her primary education in music, French and painting was inside the Royal Palace of Cairo, where she was raised, as her father was the aides-de-camp or military laureate of King Fouad I of Egypt. Between […]
The Alexandria-born brothers, Seif and Adham Wanly, got introduced to the world of art through the stories of their French teachers during their school years. Like other pioneer artists, their parents preferred to see their sons pursue ‘serious’ studies. In 1925, and without their parent’s knowledge, the two brothers enrolled in art classes with an […]
‘Rafi is one of the Pharaonic dynasties. The power and endurance in his materials will long live against time and emptiness.’ Alberto Giacometti Samir Rafi’s early life consists of a chain of chance encounters that ultimately shape his artist career. Later, when he took matters into his own hands, the trajectory of his life took […]
The first time the public got acquainted with the works of Inji Efflatoun was the year 1942, in the midst of WWII. She was eighteen years old and took part in the third exhibition of Independent Art held at the Continental Hotel in Cairo organized by the surrealist collective known as al-Fann wa-l-Hurriyya or the […]